Pediatric squamous cell carcinoma arising in an alpha-fetoprotein-producing mature cystic teratoma of the mandible

Squamous cell carcinoma as a somatic-type malignancy in an extragonadal immature teratoma of the sinonasal region

Somatic-type malignancy arising in a teratoma of the sinonasal region is extremely unusual, creating a diagnostic dilemma. There are no definite guidelines for management of such cases. A 15-year-old male with a maxillary mass was misdiagnosed as angiomyolipoma, maxillary carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and teratocarcinosarcoma, followed by the final diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma arising in an immature teratoma. He received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by surgery and chemo-radiotherapy, and is disease-free at 21 months. This case highlights the difficulty faced when diagnosing neoplasms unusual to the head and neck region, particularly on small biopsies, and good outcome following appropriate multimodality management.

Rhabdomyosarcoma arising from retroperitoneal teratoma in an infantile neurofibromatosis type 1 patient

We herein report the case of a 2-year-old girl with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), who presented with a 12-cm mass in the right retroperitoneum and underwent tumor resection. Histologically, the tumor was composed of two distinct components: one was teratoma, showing mature morphology; and the other was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. An interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of the rhabdomyosarcoma component revealed the absence of isochromosome 12p. Although it is well known that rhabdomyosarcoma occurs in infantile NF1, and that rhabdomyosarcoma can arise from teratoma as a somatic-type malignancy, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of an infantile NF1 patient, who developed rhabdomyosarcoma within a retroperitoneal teratoma. The absence of chromosome 12p alteration suggests a possibility that the rhabdomyosarcoma occurred due to the NF1 background, not as a somatic-type malignancy of germ cell tumor.

Primary Malignant Mixed Germ Cell Tumour with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Mandible; A Rare Entity

Germ cell Tumours (GCT) are neoplasm derived from germ cells. GCT usually occurs inside the gonads. Extragonadal GCT's are rare. Most common GCT associated with head and neck region are the teratomas. Of the few teratomas found in the head and neck, malignant transformation of a teratomatous element is very uncommon, and primary bone involvement within the head and neck is even rare. We present a case of primary malignant mixed germ cell Tumour involving the mandible, the present case presented malignant transformation of the epithelial component showing foci of squamous cell carcinoma within the GCT.

Teratoma with a malignant somatic component in pediatric patients: the Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP) experience

BACKGROUND

Teratoma with a malignant somatic component (TMSC) is rare but described in adults, whereas information on pediatric presentation is sparse.

PROCEDURE

The Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica identified 14 cases of TMSC. Clinical files and pathology specimens were reviewed.

RESULTS

The series (9 female, 5 male) showed the following disease: testis (2), sacrococcygeal (3), ovary (3), retroperitoneum (3), mediastinum (2), and foot soft tissue (1). Distribution of the somatic component was: carcinoma (4), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (1), neuroblastoma (3), rhabdomyosarcoma (3), rhabdomyosarcoma plus liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, neurogenic sarcoma (1), chondrosarcoma plus neuroectodermal sarcoma (1), malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (1). Three patients were in stage I, four in stage II, three in stage III, and four in stage IV. All but one patient underwent surgery and only females showed carcinoma components. Nine patients relapsed or progressed and eight died. Six patients are alive and disease-free. Two patients underwent complete resection and four were treated based on transformed histologies. Relapse-free and overall survival rates were 35.7% and 42.8%, respectively (median follow-up, 31 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Prognosis for germ cell tumors (GCTs) containing MSC is worse than that for GCTs. The pediatric disease appears to be more heterogeneous in tumor site distribution and MSC histology than in adults. Our series suggests no effects of age, histology, or gender on outcome. Surgery has an essential role in localized disease, with complete resection highly desirable. Chemotherapy optimized for histology should include reagents directed to the somatic malignancy, if chemosensitive. Malignant GCT warrants GCT-directed chemotherapy.

Selective pathologies of the head and neck in children: a developmental perspective

The range of pathology seen in the head and neck region is truly amazing and to a large extent probably mirrors the complex signaling pathways and careful orchestration of events that occurs between the primordial germ layers during the development of this region. As is true in general for the entire discipline of pediatric pathology, the head and neck pathology within this age group is as diverse and different as its adult counterpart. Cases that come across the pediatric head and neck surgical pathology bench are more heavily weighted toward developmental and congenital lesions such as branchial cleft anomalies, thyroglossal duct cysts, ectopias, heterotopias, choristomas, and primitive tumors. Many congenital "benign" lesions can cause significant morbidity and even mortality if they compress the airway or other vital structures. Exciting investigations into the molecular embryology of craniofacial development have begun to shed light on the pathogenesis of craniofacial developmental lesions and syndromes. Much more investigation is needed, however, to intertwine aberrations in the molecular ontogeny and development of the head and neck regions to the represented pathology. This review will integrate traditional morphologic embryology with some of the recent advances in the molecular pathways of head and neck development followed by a discussion of a variety of developmental lesions finishing with tumors presumed to be derived from pluripotent/progenitor cells and tumors that show anomalous or aborted development.